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Contents
CBAP/CCBA
Certified Business
Analysis, Study
Guide
Table of Contents
Errata
Cover
Title
Copyright
Dear Reader
Dedication
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Contents
Introduction
Assessment Test
Chapter 1: Foundation
Concepts
What Is Business Analysis?
Exploring the Business
Analysis Knowledge
Areas
Exploring Requirements
Understanding How This
Applies to Your Projects
Summary
Exam Essentials
Key Terms
Review Questions
Answers to Review
Questions
Chapter 2: Controlled Start:
Business Analysis Planning
and Monitoring
Chapter 3: Controlled Start:
Enterprise Analysis
Chapter 4: Overarching
Tasks: Requirements
Management and
Communication
Chapter 5: Controlled Middle:
Elicitation
Chapter 6: Controlled Middle:
Requirements Analysis
Chapter 7: Controlled End:
Solution Assessment and
Validation
Chapter 8: Underlying
Competencies
Appendix A : Advice on
Completing Your Exam
Application
Appendix B : Knowledge
Areas, Tasks, and Elements
Appendix C : Mapping
Techniques, Stakeholders,
and Deliverables to
Knowledge Areas and Tasks
Appendix D : Quick Summary
of Business Analysis
Techniques
Appendix E : Quick Summary
of Business Analysis
Deliverables
Appendix F : About the
Companion CD
Index
Glossary

Chapter 1: Foundation Concepts... > Exploring the Business Analysis Knowledge Area...
Exploring the Business Analysis Knowledge
Areas
The BABOK

Guide is based on a set of knowledge areas guiding the business analyst when
they perform business analysis activities at any point in the project or product life cycle.
Knowledge areas define what business analysts need to understand and the tasks they
should perform. They do not represent project phases, and their activities are not intended to
be performed in a linear fashion. Tasks from one or more knowledge areas may be
performed in any order (such as in succession, simultaneously, or iteratively), provided that
the necessary inputs to each task are available.
Six knowledge areas are defined by the standard. If you are planning to take the Certified
Business Analyst Professional (CBAP

) or Certification of Competency in Business Analysis

(CCBA) exam, you will need to memorize the high-level definition of each knowledge area,
as well as the more detailed tasks, elements, inputs, and outputs. If you are interested in
applying these knowledge areas to your work world, you will need to master the tasks and
the skills in order to become an effective business analyst. The six knowledge areas listed
here are shown in Figure 1.1.
Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
Elicitation
Requirements Management and Communication
Enterprise Analysis
Requirements Analysis
Solution Assessment and Validation
FIGURE 1.1 Relationships between knowledge areas

Exam Spotlight
Heres a memory aid for the six knowledge areasBEaRERS.
Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
Enterprise Analysis
Requirements Management and Communication
Elicitation
Requirements Analysis
Solution Assessment and Validation
Business analysts are the BEaRERS of good news!
Knowledge Area: Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring
Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring is where the business analyst plans how to
approach the business analysis effort. The approach is a set of processes, templates, and
activities used to perform business analysis in a specific context. The tasks govern and
monitor the performance of all other business analysis tasks. These planning and monitoring
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activities take place throughout the project life cycle. The results of this knowledge area
govern the tasks found in the remaining five knowledge areas and set the performance
metrics to be used to evaluate all business analysis work. So, what is a business analyst to
do? Well, the business analysts task list for this particular knowledge area consists of:
Determining the business analysis approach for the project
Performing stakeholder identification, analysis, and categorization
Defining the business analysis activities to be performed
Addressing business analysis communication requirements
Planning the requirements development and management process
Managing and reporting on the business analysis effort
Knowledge Area: Elicitation
Elicitation defines how business analysts work with stakeholders to identify and gather
requirements and understand their needs and concerns. The business analysts task list for
this knowledge area consists of:
Building a detailed elicitation schedule for a specific activity
Meeting with stakeholders to conduct the elicitation activity
Documenting and recording the elicitation results
Confirming elicitation results with key stakeholders
Knowledge Area: Requirements Management and
Communication
Requirements Management and Communication defines how the business analyst approaches
communicating requirements to stakeholders. Tasks and techniques for managing changes,
conflicts, and issues related to requirements are also described. Business analysts perform
requirements communication activities as part of requirements development work by:
Managing the solution scope and requirements
Managing requirements traceability
Maintaining requirements for reuse
Preparing requirements packages
Communicating requirements
Knowledge Area: Enterprise Analysis
Enterprise Analysis focuses on how the business analyst identifies the business needs driving
a project by performing problem definition and analysis. In addition to defining and refining
these driving needs, the business analyst is responsible for defining a feasible solution scope
that can be implemented by the business. This work may also include developing a business
case or feasibility study for a proposed project. Typically, the tasks in this knowledge area
occur prior to or early in the project life cycle. The business analysts task list for this
knowledge area includes translating business strategy into proposed new business solutions
by:
Defining and understanding the business problem or opportunity
Assessing capability gaps in the organization
Determining the most feasible business solution approach
Describing the resulting solution scope
Developing a business case for the proposed solution
Knowledge Area: Requirements Analysis
Requirements Analysis describes how the business analyst progressively elaborates and
prioritizes stakeholder and solution requirements. In essence, the business analyst takes the
elicited information and makes sense of it to derive the real requirements for the project.
This knowledge area also focuses on graphically modeling the requirements as well as
documenting them. When performing these tasks, the business analyst should ensure the
feasibility of the requirements while defining, describing, and refining the characteristics of
an acceptable solution. The business analysts task list for this knowledge area consists of:
Prioritizing the relative importance of the requirements
Organizing requirements
Specifying and modeling requirements
Defining assumptions and constraints
Verifying requirements
Validating requirements
Knowledge Area: Solution Assessment and Validation
Solution Assessment and Validation focuses on assessing and validating proposed, in
progress, and implemented solutions before, during, and after the project life cycle. While
many tasks in this knowledge area take place later in the project life cycle, some solution-
focused activities may occur quite early. The business analysts task list for this knowledge
area consists of:
Assessing the proposed solution
Allocating stakeholder and solution requirements
Assessing organizational readiness
Defining transition requirements
Validating the solution
Evaluating solution performance
We will examine each knowledge area and every task within it in great detail in the coming
chapters. You will need this level of knowledge to successfully prepare for and pass the
certification exams. You will also need this level of knowledge to be an effective business
analysis practitioner in your organization.
Exam Spotlight
Remember that business analysts are the bearers of good newsBEaRERS. This acronym will
help you to remember the six knowledge areas. Make sure you know the correct names,
descriptions, and tasks for each of them: Business Analysis Planning and Monitoring, Enterprise
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Analysis, Requirements Management and Communication, Elicitation, Requirements Analysis,
and Solution Assessment and Validation.
How Are the Knowledge Areas Organized?
Knowledge areas divide what business analysts need to know and how they perform their
tasks into six common buckets. The business analyst can dip into one or more buckets at any
timein any orderto select a deliverable or perform a necessary task. The knowledge areas
are not a road map or a methodology; they simply break business analysis stuff into common
areas.
Tasks
Inputs
Elements
Techniques
Stakeholders
Outputs
The content of each knowledge area is defined using the same structure. Lets take a look at
this structure now.
Tasks In order to achieve the purpose of a particular knowledge area, the business
analyst must perform a defined set of high-level tasks. Each task has a particular purpose
and adds value to the overall effort when performed. The expectation is that each task will
be performed at least once during any project.
Inputs Inputs consist of the information and preconditions required by a task so that task
can begin. These inputs must be usable by the task that needs them. They are produced
externally to the business analysis activities, by a single business analysis task, or by
multiple business analysis tasks.
Elements Elements are the detailed concepts that are necessary to perform a particular
task. For some tasks, the elements are categories of things to be considered. For other
tasks, the elements are subtasks performed by the business analyst.
Outputs Outputs are the results that are created or changed when a task is successfully
completed. One task can have one too many outputs.
Techniques Techniques guide the business analyst in the many ways a particular task
might be done. The techniques found in the BABOK

Guide are considered best practices

that are used by many business analysts. However, business analysts can certainly use
techniques that are not found in the standard.
Exam Spotlight
When you are reviewing and learning the techniques from the BABOK

Guide, make sure you

dont miss anything! There are two types of techniques: general and knowledge area specific.
The general techniques are summarized in Appendix C, Mapping Techniques, Stakeholders,
and Deliverables to Knowledge Areas and Tasks, of this book and are defined in Chapter 9 of
the BABOK

Guide. They can be used by any activity, and many are used by more than one.
Knowledge area specific techniques are defined as part of the knowledge area task that uses
them. They are only used by a single task. The knowledge area specific techniques are
addressed in Chapter 2 through Chapter 7 of this book as a part of the discussion of each
specific task that uses them.
Stakeholders All tasks come with a generic list of stakeholders who may be involved in
performing that task or who might be affected by the task and its outcome. Interestingly
enough, the business analyst is a stakeholder for every business analysis activity found in
the BABOK

Guide. This makes perfect sensethe business analyst is responsible and

accountable for making sure that these tasks are done and done well. Remember that
earlier in this chapter we took a look at the key generic stakeholder roles that typically
interact with business analysts on their projects.
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